The Addition
by Madame Body
Summary: A small human child has fallen into the Strange Magic universe with no memories of her past and becomes an addition to the storyline. Will her appearance derail the couple's happily ever after or set events for a new adventure all together?
1. Chapter 1

I…I fell…

I remember falling, it was cold and dark, and now…

It was warm and soft beneath me…there is light—I can feel it behind my eyelids. My eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the bright sunshine, and I slowly lifted my body into a sitting position. There was a dark and fore-boding forest a few feet in front of me; is that where I fell from? No, that's not right…maybe a cave or…?

The confusing lack of memories made my head hurt.

I shook the thoughts from my mind and started to slowly stand up. My eyes widened in another realization, I was the size of a human thumb. Not my thumb, mind you, but a regular human's thumb would be about as big as myself right now. I don't know how I knew it, but I could state as a fact that this was not my normal height.

I decided to take stock in the rest of my appearance and glanced down at my tiny body. My grey sneakers were laced with mismatching purple and green shoelaces—a bit scuffed up, but no worse for wear. I was wearing black tights with white stars running up the sides and a pair of torn up denim shorts that had seen better days. To complete the look, I had on a plain, purple t-shirt with a faded yellow hoodie thrown over it. Okay, disregarding that my clothes are covered in dirt and my hands are scraped to bits, probably from the fall, I clearly have no sense in color-coordination.

Either that, or I love colors and can't decide which was my favorite.

My ears picked up the sound of streaming water to my left, away from the creepy woods, and I decided to go towards it and check out my reflection. Once I finally reached the water's edge, I found a small pool that was calm and clear enough to peer at. It was then at that moment I realized another fact of myself; that I was a child.

My exact age I would say eight or nine, but I knew for sure that I was considered a little girl wherever I came from. Hazel eyes stared at chestnut-brown hair that went to the middle of my back. My hair was pulled out of my freckled face by a black headband and helped me notice a gash on the right side of my forehead near the hairline. Well, that explains the blanks in memories.

I decided to try to wash off some of the dirt from my face and try to clean the cut on my head in hopes of preventing an infection. Once I was washed up for the most part, I climbed up on some rocks near the stream to try to get a layout of the area. I ended up having to stand on my tiptoes to see over a patch of daisies, but it looked like there was a…town… or a village up ahead. I could only assume that whoever or whatever lived there would be around my current height since it seemed miniscule compared to the surrounding wood.

Wait a minute—is that a castle?

Giving my feet a quick and brief reprieve, I quickly rocked back onto the edge of my toes and craned my neck further to assess the giant castle… Or is it a –er—rock building…maybe a mountain with windows?

Before I could give it any further evaluation, the sound of breaking twigs and clanging of metal pulled my attention away. It seemed to be… are those fairies in armor?

I couldn't believe my eyes for a moment…or the fact that I remember what a human and fairy are, but can't remember my name, age, or how I even got here.

Memory is a fickle thing.

"Halt!" One of the fairy soldiers called out while pointing out my location.

Oh, no.

Why do I have a feeling that this is not going to end well for me? I thought while nervously biting my lip, as three guards in green armor flew down to the rock I was standing on.

They looked eerily similar—to the point that I can only assume that if they are not triplets, then they must be related somehow.

"Hey Roland! Come check this out," the one on my left called out to his superior who was riding a…squirrel wearing a…helmet. Yeah, there is no way I am dreaming because I would _not_ be able to imagine this.

"Whoa there, Chipper!" A 'country drawl' type voice commanded before a blonde fairy with orange butterfly wings leapt in front of me with his sword drawn. "Well, what do we have here? A spy from the Dark Forest, perhaps?"

I gulped my fear before passionately shaking my head no. There is no way I came from this Dark Forest, right? I mean, I'm almost positive that I am human, despite my current height, and it doesn't sound like a human would live in the 'Dark Forest.'

…At least I _think_ that's right…

"Nah, she's not ugly enough to be from the Dark Forest—have you seen those creatures?" The one on my left informed his boss before he shivered with disgust.

Well, that's not nice.

"Maybe she's an elf?" The guard on my right helpfully suggested.

"An elf?" The one in the middle said with disbelief, "No way."

"Yeah, she's clearly a kid and elf children are a _lot_ tinier than her," the guard on my left sided with the middle guard.

"Oh, I'm sorry—I hear you both shooting down ideas, but I don't hear you contributing any," the guard on the right peevishly stated while crossing his arms indignantly.

"Okay, okay…Maybe she's a…uhm a…oh!...a wingless fairy!" the one on the left declared excitedly while snapping his fingers together.

"Are you kidding me? A wingless fairy? That's just as bad as his guess of an elf."

"Hey! It's known to happen! Maybe someone from the Dark Forest got ahold of her and ripped her wings off!" (I shuddered at the thought of that happening to _anyone_.)

"Oh, right, and how would you explain her ears? They're all…flat and weird," the one on the right pointed out with his lip curled in disgust. I quickly covered my ears in shame…am I that strange looking?

"Says, the guy who said she was an elf. Tell me, how did you come up with elf if her ears are so weird then, hmmm?" The left guard huffed in defiance.

"Easily, there are _tons_ of weird and misshapen elves, but not _one_ ugly fairy that we wouldn't have remembered," the right guard replied haughtily.

"Okay, both of you are wrong. 'Cos she is too tall to be an elf and too—er— weird looking to be a 'wingless fairy,' the middle guard tried to appease and defuse the situation.

"Oh, then lets here your suggestion since you're soooo brilliant at deduction."

"Yeah, let us pick apart your thoughts and ideas. Show you how dumb _you_ are."

"I must not be too dumb since _I_ noticed her even though this was _your_ surveillance area."

"Oh that is so typical of y—"

"ENOUGH!" The blonde leader in front of me yelled before putting his sword away. "Whatever this thing is, she is _not_ part of the kingdom and needs to be taken to the king immediately. Put the prisoner in cuffs and let's move out!"

With that last command he jumped back on his squirrel and rode in the direction of the village and castle. Before I could even move or think of an escape plan, the guard on my left grabbed me while the guard on my right cuffed me. They then gave each other a malicious smile before shoving me towards the middle guard.

"Here, you found here," I heard one of them begin saying, "You carry her," the other finished off before they flew away laughing.

The guard that got stuck with me let out a deep, aggravated sigh.

"Just great," he began, "I get stuck carrying the…" he trailed off while looking at me for the longest time in confusion. "What _are_ you?" He asked in disgust before throwing me over his shoulder and flying towards the others.

It's childish really.

I shouldn't care what people…or in this case, fairies, think of me.

But it didn't stop the tears from running down my face as I tried not to think of the hurt or trouble that I was in.

* * *

We weren't flying for too long and I was able to stop most of the tears right when we landed in front of the gates. However, once we went inside the castle and entered the King's Court…I felt the tears brimming in my eyes once again when I heard the shocked whispers and the disgusted murmurs of the royalty.

The king was a heavy- set man—er fairy—with gray hair and a beard to match. He was dressed in golden armor and had a gold crown placed on a regal brow. Truthfully, he would be quite intimidating if it wasn't for the shocked look on his face.

"Roland, what in the—"

"Roland!" A small fairy with short brown hair and purple wings shot out from beside the throne and launched herself on the lead guard with a huge smile on her face.

She was absolutely stunning.

"I missed you soooo much!" She exclaimed hugging him even tighter before she got a sudden thought in her head and pulled back. Worrying her bottom lip she looked up at him with big eyes and asked, "Did you miss me as much as I missed you?"

"Oh, buttercup, all that and more!" He said with enthusiasm before pushing her towards the door and adding, "But your father and I have to discuss important business about this strange creature that came into our kingdom, and it's entirely too dangerous to risk you being here."

"Dangerous creature?!" The king exclaimed in horror before trying to back further away from me.

"Oh, yes your majesty! We saw her spying on the village and castle near the borders of the Dark Forest. Clearly her eyesight must be enhanced for this…criminal espionage," he exaggerated to the court who ate up every word he was saying.

"N-n-no!" I finally shouted out, making Roland whirl on me in shock while others whispered out various forms of 'it can talk?'

"Th-tha-that's not true! I'm lost and I was trying t-to get my bearings a-and, and—"

"And, and nothing. My men and I bravely risked our lives to catch you, spy. And with the King's permission we'll get the truth out of you and who you work for." Roland said with such confidence and authority that the whole court was right back on his side nodding their heads in approval. Even the king seemed to be swaying towards the safe side of things and having me locked up.

I couldn't believe this was happening. I may not remember what my life was like before, but I'm pretty sure that I never had to run the risk of being locked away and tortured. The tears came before I knew it and I was sobbing like a baby. My cuffed hands tried to rub the traitorous tears away, but they kept coming.

Roland was probably there smiling at my 'evident guilt' or however he tried to spin this, but I was too far gone in my own self-pity to care what he was doing.

The fear had such a strong grip on me.

The fear that created loneliness.

The same fear that created scared girls longing for safety. Longing for someone to wrap their arms around them and reassure them that they were not alone.

"There, there, it's okay…you're okay, you're alright. I'm here for you," a soft voice spoke to me and kind arms securely wrapped me in a warm embrace.

"M-Ma-Marianne! What are you doing? She's a spy! She's dangerous! She's—"

" _She's_ a scared child, Roland," Marianne defended me while rubbing gentle circles on my back. She continued on with her speech by adding, "I know you take your job very seriously to protect the people, my family, and me; but you can't let that blind you. Look at her, the poor thing is scared to death."

On that note, Marianne lifted my tear-stained face towards Roland. He didn't seem to be paying attention to me, but, was looking around the room at the others' reactions; Marianne didn't notice this.

"Oh, buttercup! Could you ever forgive your future king?" Roland pleaded while kneeling in front of Marianne. "You know I can be such a fool sometimes when I think the woman I love may be in peril's way."

Everyone awed and cooed at that 'romantic' admission.

"Of course I forgive you, Roland!" Marianne happily replied before getting up to stand behind me. Her reassuring hand on my shoulder. "However, I think you need to apologize to this little girl before we move on."

"Oh-Oh! Yes, yes—ahem—I am truly sorry for terrifying you with such atrocious claims, little lady. Especially to such a cute—uh—kid as yourself," Roland's grandiose apology ended with him bowing in front of me.

I may not know much about myself, but I _know_ that I do not trust him and need to keep my distance.

Satisfied with my judgement call, I turned myself away from the faker and buried my head into Marianne's stomach; hoping that he would disappear along with everyone else.

"Awww, someone must be a little shy," Marianne cooed at me while stroking the top of my head. "Come on, we'll get you all cleaned up and get some food in your belly, how does that sound?" She asked me, holding her hand out with a smile on her face. I nodded my head eagerly and went to place my hand in hers when the cuffs jingled a reminder at my captive state.

"Oh, Roland, won't you take those shackles off her," Marianne pleaded while gently holding my wrist out for them to unlock the metal cuffs.

"Of course, my flower petal!" Roland exclaimed before barking out for one of the guards to unlock my hands.

Once free, Marianne was leading me to the door when Roland hesitantly asked, "Ar-Are you sure you don't need me to come with you, my future queen?"

"No, that's alright…I think it's best that we have some girl time," Marianne informed him before quickly reassuring him that she'd see him later tonight for their date.

With that final declaration, Marianne led me through the halls to a set of beautiful, wooden doors with ornate metal pattern in the shapes of trees and flowers. Once inside I saw a giant rose bed that was hanging from the ceiling by four strands of beads. Off to the side there was a vanity and a little reading nook with daisies on top for…pillows?

"This is my bedroom," Marianne gently told me while leading me to another door in the far corner of the room, "Through there is my personal bathing pool and some towels in the cupboard closest to the door. Go ahead and get washed up. I'll see if I can't find some new clothes that will fit you and some medicine for that nasty cut on your head."

She gently grazed her hand on said cut without applying any pressure; she's so kind.

"Th-thank you, uhm, Princess M-Marianne?"

"Just Marianne is fine," she told me before gently pushing me towards the door, "Go get cleaned up—I'll be right back."

I smiled before closing the door behind me.

Thank heavens for my miracle named Marianne.

* * *

Once I was washed up and my hair was dried, I was given a simple, green dress with beige, canvas, anklet boots to wear. Marianne then had me sit on her rose bed so that she could apply first aid while we waited for a servant to deliver us some food. The first cut she tended was the gash on my head which she told me was starting to form a lump and that we should ice it right away. She started with my left arm and was working her way up when she noticed an old scar on my back. It was situated where the slits for fairy wings were located on the dress, but I didn't have the same scar on the right side.

"That's strange…were you born with one wing or did something happen to this one and you had the other delicately removed so it wouldn't scar?" Marianne asked with only curiosity in her voice. Much different from the guards and the blatant disgust they showed towards my appearance.

"Uh…no…I'm, I'm not a fairy, Pri—Marianne," I told her honestly, hoping she wouldn't hate me for my species.

"Oh? Huh, you're too tall to be an elf…hmmm…do you know what you are?" Marianne kindly asked me.

"Uhm…yes…I think—that is I _know_ that I'm a human, but I can't remember anything else," I told her with a great deal of embarrassment and lowered my head in shame.

"Hu-human?" She asked with a puzzled look on her face. "What is a human? And what do you mean that you don't remember anything?"

Disbelief pooled in my eyes.

Do humans not exist here? Where did I fall and how did I end up in a place where my species doesn't exist?

I must have voiced my racing thoughts out loud because Marianne grabbed my hand before motioning for me to take a deep breath and told me to start at the beginning.

I told her everything.

How I did not know my name, how old I was, where I came from, how I got here, or even if I had any family out there that may be looking for me. For all I knew, I may not even have a home to return to since no one has apparently seen or heard of a human before. The only thing that I am certain of is basic knowledge.

I like colors, I like stars, I like flowers, I'm a girl, I'm human, I'm a child, and I am scared.

I did not mention to Marianne the rude and cruel things the guards said to me before they brought me here; just said they suspected me of a crime and brought me before the king. I finally had a friend and I did not want to rock the boat and ruin our friendship. Besides, this may be my first friend in my life; who knows with my lack of memories.

Marianne hugged me and told me that I wouldn't have to worry about remembering my past. That we would create new memories together and that I was welcome to stay with her for as long as I wanted. My eyes spilled with tears as I cried with joy and she soothingly patted my back.

Once I calmed down, Marianne resumed with patching me up. The food came shortly after she was done treating my wounds and we pondered a new question as we ate our sandwiches.

What name shall I be given?

"Rosella, Ophelia, or perhaps Penelope?"

None of those felt right, but Marianne was determined.

"Aurora?"

"No."

"Beatrix?"

"Isn't that a witch?"

"Hmmm…Audrey?"

"Eh…"

"Violet?"

"I like the color, but…no."

"Oh, how about Henrietta?"

"I do like the sound of older names, but…"

"Not feeling that one? That's alright, how about…Genevieve?"

"Gen."

"Huh?"

"Uh…sorry just something about Gen reminded me…of—well, I don't know what, but anyway, it's silly to just be Gen. Please forget I said anything."

"Gen, huh…hmmm—oh!" With a gasp Marianne practically jumped into the air with a grand smile on her face. She pointed at me with a great confidence before stating, "Imogen."

"Imogen…hmmm… 'Em-Oh-Jen' Imogen, and I can be called Gen for short…" I repeated the name a couple of more times before smiling up at Marianne, "I love it!"

I raced up to hug her and she laughed at my enthusiasm.

"It's perfect right?" She asked me already knowing I would nod passionately with approval. "The best part about it is, is its meaning." Marianne told me with a smile.

"What does it mean?" I asked with a slight tilt of my head.

"It means 'innocent child.' This way when they ask what you are, you can tell them your name and leave it at that," she told me before giving me one final hug before we sat down to finish our meal.

"Besides, I'll be the queen one day and if anyone dares say otherwise I can just have them beheaded."

Okay, I now know one more thing; Marianne is the most badass person in all existence.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: This may be seem like the family love is moving a little too fast, but I hope you all understand that this bonding and connection was pre-determined by a higher power and will be explained in later chapters. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

It had been a little over a couple of months since I arrived to this fairy kingdom. I still don't remember anything of my past, but it doesn't really bother me. I have this weird gut feeling that it's best to just let sleeping dogs lie and move on with making new memories with my new family.

That's another thing that has changed since I landed here. I now call Marianne mama. It all happened after I got sick and let the name of endearment slip out when she was trying to get my fever down. I was so embarrassed at the time, but Marianne just smiled and said she didn't mind and was happy that I felt that way since she also looked at me as her daughter. So, I continued to call her mama, and she's been trying to convince her dad to make it official. However, the king doesn't want to do anything until after the winter months; in case my 'real family comes looking for me.'

I understand that he is worried that mama will get her hopes up too fast, but I honestly believe that I'm here for good—especially since no one has ever seen my kind before.

The other part of my mind thinks he might be embarrassed to call something as ugly as me as his grandchild, but mama reassures me that this isn't the case. According to her, King Dagda is just as eager to announce my entry into the royal family, but is hesitant because of his own paternal instincts. He cannot fathom how _any_ father would forget about finding his daughter and believes that mine is frantically looking for me.

He really is a good man.

There is just something in my gut that tells me he is wrong though. I just don't have the stomach to tell him this.

Anyway, it may be for the best because Roland still hates me…and if Marianne is my mama then after today he will be my papa…

I am _not_ happy about _this_ one bit and I know for a fact that Roland feels the same way.

On more than one occasion, I have heard him trying to convince mama to send me to live with the elves or convince her to not adopt me at the end of the winter months. Mama put her foot down on both those matters. She told him that she was now a packaged deal and to take it or leave it. He immediately stopped pestering her about me and apologized saying how he was 'scared for her well-being' and 'loves her so much' etc. She gushed and forgave him and he hasn't talked about sending me away since, but I've heard that he still sends out his minions to try to find my 'real family.'

It scares the hell out of me that he might one day succeed in sending me away.

Just the thought of never seeing my mama again brings tears to my eyes. Dammit, I can't be crying. I have to be strong on mama's big day. Even though I don't like the jerk, mama still loves him and he makes her happy; mama's happiness is all that matters to me.

With this last thought of determination, I wiped the tears from my eyes and focused on happy thoughts before turning towards mama's vanity mirror.

I smiled at the sight of myself in the outfit mama had picked out for me. She had me wearing a pretty and simple lilac and purple dress. The dress started as a light lilac shade on the top and eventually turned into a dark purple color once it reached the bottom hem of the skirt. It looked much like my green dress, but mama had this specifically tailored to my shape and it didn't have any wing slits in the back; she knows I'm self-conscious about my scars.

Even if I don't know where they came from, I don't want anyone to see them.

My hair was pulled back in its usual black headband so my 'cute, little freckles' were on display. To finish the look off, mama had placed some daisy earrings in my ears and black ballet flats on my feet. Mama has a good taste in style and fashion.

But I'm starting to get worried because it's been a while since she left this morning…

Mama had this weird look on her face when she looked at my earrings. She then leaped in the air in a panic screeching that she forgot to make Roland a boutonniere and dashed out the window. That was a while ago and Aunt Dawn said that she and the sprites would go look for her, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of any of them since they left.

I hope that they are alright.

I moved towards the window and sat down on the reading nook. I might as well just wait and keep a look out until someone comes back. My legs were stretched out and my body was beginning to relax when I spotted mama's figure flying towards me. The smile on my face soon faded when I realized that she was hunched over and crying.

What…what happened?

Why is she…

I didn't get to ponder this for long as Mama flew right past me and landed on the rose bed. Sobs racking her body so violently that her small frame was shaking.

My legs quickly raced towards her and my arms went around her torso as I hugged her with all my might.

I didn't make any shushing noises, I didn't ask what happened, and I didn't whisper any false words of positivity.

I knew none of those things would help—I just held her and stroked her hair as she wailed with sorrow that broke my heart into two.

This continued for several, long minutes, but I didn't let my embrace slacken.

My mama needed me, and I was going to be there for her; just like she is always there for me.

I barely noticed the sprites had come in through the window until one of them gave her a handkerchief.

The wails had eventually subsided into gentle sniffles, but I could tell she wasn't ready to talk about anything and stayed silent as she stared off into space. Eventually, a knock on the door broke the silence. Mama seemed to realize where she was and looked at me in shock before giving me a gentle smile and a hug. Mama then got up from the bed and led me over to the doorway; she rubbed at her eyes with her free hand before she opened the door.

I heard Aunt Dawn's voice at the door, but was more focused on mama than the words coming out of her mouth. Mama asked her to take me for a walk or something while she sorted some things out. Aunt Dawn asked her to tell her what happened, but mama wouldn't budge and told her to tell everyone that the wedding was off.

Shocked questions left Aunt Dawn's mouth, but they fell on deaf ears as mama closed the door on the both of us. Before Aunt Dawn could knock on the door again, I quickly grabbed her hand and suggested that we let mama have some alone time to work things out and see how she feels in the morning.

Aunt Dawn didn't like to leave mama alone, but knew that I was right to give her some space. She picked up my hand and asked what I wanted to do.

"Can we go to the library and read for a bit?"

"Of course we can," she replied with a small smile on her face and lead us towards the inner rooms of the castle.

I hope mama feels better soon.

* * *

Soon enough, spring turned into summer and summer turned into fall. Time was slowly helping mama heal her broken heart after she called off the wedding. She still won't tell anyone what happened; Roland was more than happy to tell the entire kingdom that she had left him at the altar brokenhearted. However, I knew that there was more to the story than what he was letting on—mama wouldn't have left that jerk unless he gave her a good reason to.

She's been studying fighting and training endlessly since that day to make herself stronger mentally and physically. Mama says it's so that she won't need anybody to rule beside her; she'll be strong enough to protect her family and the kingdom all by herself. I'm happy that Roland is out of the picture, but it breaks my heart when I hear mama talk like that.

Everybody needs somebody.

I looked over the edge of my book, pausing my reading on the history of the kingdom, when I heard mama let out a frustrated cry. She's been going at the training session with the sprites harder than usual. My gut says that she had another argument with grandpa again.

"Uhm…mama?" I hesitantly called out to her. Probably best not to get on her bad side when she's wielding a really sharp sword.

"Yeah, baby? What's—ergh!—up?" She asked as she knocked the shield away and parried with the sword. Obviously, there were multiple sprites working to hold up the shield and three sprites holding up the sword, but it still seemed unfair for the sprites when mama was this upset.

"Uh…well, are you angry?"

"What?! Of course—ah ha!—not!"

"Really? 'Cos you seem a bit tense…"

"Nope, I'm not—take that!—tense at all."

"So you didn't get in an argument with grandpa today?"

"Wai—wha—hey! Time out already!" Mama shouted at the sprites after they almost knocked the sword from her hands. The sprites were all too happy to have a bit of a reprieve and immediately dropped the heavy armor and weaponry before going towards the river for a drink.

Mama slid her sword back in its sheath before turning her full attention towards me. She flew up to the rock that I was perched upon and sat cross-legged in front of me.

"Okay, who told you about the argument I had with your grandpa?" She interrogated me with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Nobody," I told her honestly, "I just guessed that you had a fight with grandpa since you were training with the sprites extra hard today."

"Oh really? How do you know that I didn't have a fight with someone else? Maybe I had a fight with…with your Aunt Dawn," she smugly asked me—thinking she had caught me in a lie.

"That's because you aren't out looking for Aunt Dawn."

"I'm sorry…what?"

"Whenever you have a fight with Aunt Dawn, she flies away or you storm off, then she does something reckless to spite you, and you spend the rest of the day looking for her to either save her or make sure she's okay," I told her in a matter of fact manner, "Whereas when you get in a fight with grandpa, you spend the whole day training until you drop so you don't have to think about whatever the argument is about and can pretend like nothing ever happened when you see him again."

Mama just looked at me in shock before rubbing her temples.

"Geeze, I need to stop forgetting how smart you are," she mumbled to herself before giving me a rueful grin.

"Alright little miss smarty-pants, you caught me. I did have an argument with your grandfather," mama conceded before cutting off my victory cheer, "However, I wasn't training to forget the conversation."

I looked at her in utter confusion and disbelief.

"Then… _why_ were you training?"

"I…I was training so that I could calm down…and not hit your grandpa… but mostly to calm down before I bring up the subject again," mama admitted in embarrassment.

"Your arguments don't normally make you _that_ upset…or violent. And you never want to bring up the topic after you two yell at each other. What were you—" Mama cut me off by placing her hand over my mouth.

"That's something for the grown ups to discuss and something I don't want you to worry about," mama told me with finality in her voice.

"Uhm okay, but—"

"No, Imogen. I mean it. I'll tell you about it once your grandpa and I come to an agreement," with that final command mama stood up and dusted off her purple tunic.

"Now how about you launch those clay disks at me and we'll test my agility," mama told me while offering her hand to help me up.

I hesitated in taking her hand…I _really_ wanted to know what was going on, but I knew mama wasn't going to budge. Guess I better take what I can get.

"…Okay, mama."

* * *

After mama's training session, we both went to the castle to get cleaned up before dinner. My room looked just like mama's, the only difference was that I had a large daisy bed and a bookshelf in place of a vanity. Mama liked the idea of me focusing more on books than my looks and her interest in my education only skyrocketed after her heart was broken.

The green dress that I was wearing earlier was covered in dirt and grime, so I changed into a pale pink one instead. Rather than wear my hair in the usual head band, I pulled my brown locks into a loose bun. Since I still had some time before dinner, I decided to go down to the library and get the next volume of the fairy kingdom history. Grabbing the previous volume and my ballet flats, I hurried down the winding corridors towards the glass paneled doors that held my favorite room in the entire castle. My eyebrows scrunched in curiosity when I saw the door ajar and heard…mama? Is that grandpa also in there?

I strained my neck and focused as hard as I could to hear what they were saying. I really shouldn't be eavesdropping, but _man_ am I curious to know what got mama so angry earlier.

"Marianne, be reasonable. You need to think this throu—"

"I've thought this through over and over again, dad. I need you to make her officially part of the family _before_ we hibernate for the winter months!"

"Marian—"

"Dad, listen to me, please. If she isn't officially adopted as my daughter, then by law, I cannot place an omniscient spell on her. I won't be able to wake up if she is in danger. I could potentially be sleeping away while _my_ childis hurt or _dying_. How would that make _you_ feel? And don't act like you still don't put the spell on Dawn and me even though we're adults. I _know_ you, dad; I know you're a good parent—which is why you need to let _me_ be one."

"Marianne, I love that little girl as much as you do, but she will be _fine_. The chief elf leader swore to me that she would be protected with the other elves in the underground bunkers. To top it off she'll be staying with yours and Dawn's friend, Sunny. _Nothing_ will happen to her while we sleep," grandpa tried to placate mama while not denying the 'hover parenting' into their adult years.

"Dad, you are not _listening_. It doesn't matter if we luck out and nothing bad happens to Imogen while we are asleep. It's the fact that _I'm_ her mother and won't know if she is safe or hurt; meanwhile _all_ the other fairy parents will know the wellbeing of their children. And all because _you_ still believe that someone _maybe_ looking for her. Well I got news for you Dad, if I _ever_ lost Imogen, it wouldn't take me nine, count them, _nine_ months to find her. Hell, it wouldn't even take me a month to find that little girl. Even a week would be pushing it, but if someone had crippled my wings then I could see that being plausible…But I digress, that little girl is _mine_ ; she became mine the moment that idiot, Roland, waltzed her tear-stained face in front of me. She became my little girl when I bathed her, clothed her, fed her, read her bedtime stories, and hugged all her fears away. Imogen just cemented that she felt the same way when she called me mama after I gave her medicine for the first time. All I need you to do is decree it so that I can protect my daughter. _Please_ dad, I'm begging you," mama pleaded with grandpa towards the end of her speech and truth be told, it sounded like she was trying to choke back tears.

I really wanted to rush in there and hug her.

The silence seemed to drag on for an eternity. It was so deafening, that for a moment I was afraid to breathe and be found out.

"Marianne, you must think me a monster…" Grandpa sighed out before I heard shuffling and drawers opening.

"Dad, I don't—"

"Please, let me say this," Grandpa interrupted, "I never thought of your feelings when I told you to hold off on the adoption. I just—I –can't understand how her birth family can forget about her…I mean I know that Imogen doesn't remember anything about them, but they _couldn't_ forget that cute, little, freckled face smiling at them; could they? I cannot imagine going a day without seeing that smiling face at the breakfast table or having that little hand tug at my arm to ask me questions about our magic and history..."

Grandpa's voice trailed off as though he were lost in thought.

"Dad…do you…have you been wanting to adopt Imogen all this time?"

"Of course I have! I kept trying to smother the feeling, but every time I would hear 'grandpa' echo in the halls…that damn feeling of happiness would burst and make my heart flip in joy." Grandpa admitted to mama. "I've always wanted grandchildren and when Imogen stumbled into our lives, I was ecstatic to grow our family, especially when it was _you_ who took up the mother role. But then when she didn't know where she came from or if she had family…I told myself to not get attached because there was no way that such a sweet child didn't have someone looking for her."

"Dad, she has someone looking for her—it's us. Our family needs her, _I_ need her, and I think she needs us too. Fate brought her to us, but we have to do the rest if we want to keep our new family together. There aren't any other humans here and…I don't think I would give her up to them if they did come around…"

"You see, this is what I was afraid of Marianne. You've gotten too attached too quickly and—"

"Dad! Hear me out. Yes, I am attached to Imogen, I won't deny that. But I wouldn't give her back to her old family because of the marks on her back. There are even some old scars on the tops of her legs… I don't think these marks were caused by an accident—somebody did that to her and I'll be damned if anyone hurts my baby girl _ever_ again." Mama said with determination in her voice.

"…Why didn't you tell me about this? Is…is she okay? Does she remember anything abo—"

"That's why I didn't tell you. You want to find out what happened, but Imogen is embarrassed about her scars and I can tell that she doesn't want to talk about them…Even if she remembered how she got them, she wouldn't tell anyone. She wants to move forward with her life and I plan on helping her do just that," Mama spoke so softly towards the end that I had to lean in a bit further to hear her. She really is perceptive of my feelings—it's one of the reasons that I love her so much.

"Have you asked her if she wishes to be adopted? I know she looks at us as her family, but she could be secretly hoping that her birth family…" Grandpa trailed off towards the end with a sniffle. Is grandpa crying?

"No, I haven't asked her yet…I wanted to get your permission first before I raise her hopes up," mama began saying before letting out a sigh, "That's a big lie. Truthfully, I haven't asked her because I'm scared she may not want to stay here with me—that she really wants her 'human' family to come rescue her and be with her own kind. But I can't help except hope that she…"

"I see…well you have my blessing to adopt her, but we really need to sit down with Imogen an—"

My feet rushed through the door before I could stop myself.

"Yes!" I shouted as I raced towards mama with open arms. She was standing dumbfounded in front of the desk that grandpa was sitting at with papers in his hands. His expression was also one of shock as I leapt towards my mother to hug her with all my might.

"Imogen, what…?" My mother trailed off as she hugged me back.

"Sorry, I know it isn't nice to eavesdrop, but the door was slightly left open and I heard you two talking and I want _you_ to adopt me and officially be my mama and I don't want to go back to my birth family even if they ever do show up because I _know_ that _you_ are supposed to be my mama and no one else and, and, and…" I breathlessly told her at 100 words per minute. Not containing my excitement in the slightest after hearing how my family loved me so much.

Soft chuckles from mama and grandpa graced my ears as I felt grandpa give a big bear hug to both mama and me.

"This is wonderful—I am so happy that I can officially welcome you into the family, little one. Could you ever forgive this old, sentimental fool for not doing it sooner?" Grandpa asked me while leaning down to my eye level; sincerity and sorrow were heavy in his eyes.

"Of course, grandpa! That's what families do," I told him before giving him a kiss on his bearded cheek. This perked the old king right up as he let out joyous laugh before taking me from mama's embrace and lifting me high in the air.

"Then we must start the paperwork at once! Oh! I must have the royal announcers assemble everyone in the town square tomorrow morning!" Grandpa quickly put me down before racing back towards his desk for the papers that were in his hand earlier and grabbed a pen on the way.

"Why do you need an assembly tomorrow, grandpa?" I asked him curiously while trying to sneak a peek at what he was writing on the parchment.

"Well, the king has to announce when a new princess arrives, doesn't he? Princess Imogen daughter of Princess Marianne by royal decree!" Grandpa boldly exclaimed with great flair.

He is so amazing!

"Yep, and grandpa will make sure to put in a bylaw about any nay-sayers to the new decree will be beheaded!" Mama helpfully chirped in with a sardonic grin on her face.

I laughed so hard at the innocent look mama gave grandpa who was scolding her on her diplomacy and tact.

Stars above, I love my family.


	3. Chapter 3

It's been a year since I fell into the fairy kingdom and began creating new memories with my family.

I have loved every moment of it.

Reading from the archives about fairy culture, anatomy, and magic heritage has taught me so much. For instance, did you know that fairies have to hibernate in order to save their wings from the harsh winter winds? Apparently, their wings are extremely delicate and can become brittle and damaged due to extreme cold or dry conditions. That is why the fairies encase themselves in a magical cocoon and hibernate for about three months of the year. This helps prevent any damage to their wings.

Also, if a fairy has offspring that is too young to provide themselves with this magic cocoon of protection, then the elves provide a daycare type service in their underground bunkers for the fairies. Of course, it also helps put the fairies' mind at ease when they place a bonding spell on their children to ensure that their child is being well taken care of. This is called the 'omniscient spell.' It basically allows the parents to assess their child's health, alerts them if their child is in danger, and allows telepathic communication with their child while they sleep.

Of course, due to past historical controversy, laws had to be put into place that prevents fairies from placing this spell on others who are _not_ their children.

Good thing mama was able to adopt me before she slept. She confided in me and told me that if she couldn't adopt me, then she was going to break the law and place the spell on me regardless. According to grandpa, the penalty of such a transgression is steep…and I really don't want anything bad happening to my mama.

Everyone was pleasant and nice in the underground bunkers. There were a few awkward stares at my wingless back or curved ears, but Uncle Sunny usually made a joke to break the ice and ease the tension. I tried not to let it bother me, but it had been a while since I received that kind of ogling and decided to explore the area and avoid large crowds for the most part.

The elves' bunkers are really interesting. It's pretty much an underground city that is stocked to the brim with supplies and entertainment. Uncle Sunny says that elves, fairies, dusties and sprites have co-existed with each other for centuries. That the elves relied on the protection of the fairies during the spring, summer, and fall months from the 'gobblers' that used to live in this area. And the elves repaid the fairies for their protection by watching over their young while they hibernated. Since this arrangement worked in everyone's favor, everybody stayed together even after the 'gobblers' were long gone.

When I asked him what a 'gobbler' looked like, Uncle Sunny just scratched his head and said, "Beats me, but they are _evil_ beings and gobble up everything in sight...especially…little girls named—Imogen!"

He then began tickling my sides and made ghost noises to try and scare me, but it made me laugh instead.

Uncle Sunny is _extremely_ silly, but really nice. He told me funny elf stories and taught me pretty songs to pass the time. He even blushed when I first called him uncle—it was then that I realized that he had a _huge_ crush on Aunt Dawn and wouldn't mind actually becoming Uncle Sunny one day. I think he'd be a great match for my aunt, but she's still a long way from realizing this herself.

With all the excitement that was going on underground, you'd think that I wouldn't be so homesick, but… it still got lonely without mama tucking me in every night. I even talked to her every night, through our connection, and told her all about my day and the new stories I heard, but… I still missed my mama and her warm hugs during those three months.

Which is why I'm super stoked that it is spring time again and I am back in the castle with my family!

Speaking of which…where the heck did mama go?

We were reading a story together on our usual rock, the one on the training ground, when she said that she had to go check on something. That something was probably Aunt Dawn, but it usually doesn't take this long…unless Aunt Dawn was hiding again.

I let out an exasperated sigh.

It was just getting to the good part in the story too. I gently placed the book face down on the rock, careful not to lose my place, and laid on my back to stretch my arms above my head. Once I was sprawled out and my muscles wonderfully relaxed, I closed my eyes to soak up a few rays of sunshine. I've missed relaxing in the sunbeams with the birds chirping happily in the background.

So peaceful.

"Oh, come on Marianne! We have so little time to get ready for the party!" Aunt Dawn screeched out.

…And peaceful moment shattered…

"Yeah, you go on ahead, I'm already ready," I heard mama say before I heard her wings beating close by and felt the gentle thump of her landing next to me. She followed my lead and stretched out beside me before pulling me into her side. I quickly snuggled into her, deeply inhaling her flowery scent with earthy undertones. Just having mama near me, always puts me in a relaxed state of mind.

"Ugh, come on you, lazy bones—you still have to get Imogen ready then," Aunt Dawn said while pulling on mama's free arm, jostling me in the process.

I made an inaudible noise of complaint before tightly putting my arm around mama's middle—trying to hold her in place with all my might.

"Ughhhhh…fine," mama said while shooing Aunt Dawn off her arm before scooping me into her arms and flying off.

"Hey! Grab Imogen's book for me! I'll meet you in the Main Hall in one hour!" Mama called over her shoulder to Aunt Dawn. I didn't even think of the book as I curled myself further into my mother's embrace.

It didn't take long before we landed in my bedroom. I let out a grumpy groan as mama placed me on my feet and told me to go splash water on my face to wake me up.

I sighed, but did as I was told and shuffled my way into the adjoining bathroom. Once the water was cold enough, I quickly splashed my face and rubbed my eyes before returning to the bedroom. Mama was holding up a sky-blue dress and a salmon colored dress, looking in between the two then back at me.

"I can't decide which one. You look super cute in both of these, but I really want to put tulip earrings on you…or maybe do a braid with tulips intertwined as a crown…" Mama trailed off while looking at me before nodding her head in a decisive manner. She then put the blue dress away and had me put on the salmon colored dress before sending the sprites out to collect miniature tulips for my hair.

She decided it would be easier to do my hair at her vanity. So, once I was dressed, we made our way to her bedroom where she sat me on her stool and began brushing out my hair.

"We're going to have to cut your hair again. I swear it is growing like a weed and is determined to reach your feet," mama muttered the last part in slight exasperation at my untamable hair. I giggled at her antics while she began braiding my hair. She had braided two smaller strands on both sides of my head and wove them into the larger braid at the back. Once this was done, the sprites returned with the tulips and she began weaving the small buds into the two, small, front braids—making a small flower crown around my head. I smiled at my reflection and graciously hugged mama.

She always made me look and feel like a princess. I must have admitted this out loud because she got this sad look in her eyes before mama smiled down at me and whispered her daily promise:

"No one will _ever_ hurt my little princess."

With that final declaration, she kissed the top of my head and led me towards the main hall.

And no one will _ever_ hurt my queen again.

With my own declaration in mind, I gripped mama's hand tighter and got ready to face the masses.

* * *

When we got to the door, Aunt Dawn had already gone into the party to dance, but grandpa was waiting outside for us.

"Ah, there's my little girl and 'littler girl'!" Grandpa cooed out at us with open arms. Mama rolled her eyes at his display of affection, but I giggled at his goofy behavior before racing into his arms.

Grandpa hugs are one of the best hugs!

Mama reluctantly came up to grandpa and gave him a hug after me. He just smiled and held out his arm to lead her into the ballroom. I grabbed onto mama's hand, feeling the butterflies return to my stomach. I've been to some fairy parties before, but this is going to be the first one as Princess Imogen, daughter of future Queen Marianne.

It's pretty daunting just thinking about it.

Grandpa and mama were whispering about mama's fake smile, but I could only focus on all the gazes that were watching my every move.

Oh, stars above, please don't let me trip and fall flat on my face!

Thankfully, and unfortunately, I didn't need to focus on this fear for long before Roland decided to crash the party and make an appearance. He was talking about dancing with mama before launching into a song and dance number with his minions.

My face must have held such disgust because when I shot a glare at the sprites, they stopped 'awing' and decided to glare at this jerk with me. Maybe mama is rubbing off on me after all.

Please don't fall for this mama…

Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about and mama was _not_ buying what this dope was selling. She got up in his face and said he had a lot of nerve showing up to the party. I don't think I was supposed to hear the last part because mama whispered that he cheated on her.

I didn't think my hatred for this jerk could intensify, but I found out I was _very,_ _ **very**_ wrong.

How dare this bum cheat on my mama! She is the most beautiful, caring, funny, strong, and charismatic woman in _all_ the land, and he had the audacity to cheat on her?! I want his head on a stick!

Everyone seemed to be taken in with his act, but my mama remained strong and started countering his number with a song of her own. She even took some jabs at him before he fell down and hit his head; even the sprites joined in and slapped him in the face.

I cheered out when I saw the coward retreat towards the door.

Mama hit a high note in his face before letting him fall out the door behind him.

She smugly called out, "Bye, bye." Then slammed the door on his wing and turned around with a victorious grin. Everyone else looked appalled, but I ran up to her with a hug and told her how badass I thought she was.

Mama laughed at my excitement before admonishing me for my language. Grandpa, however, was a mood-killer. He got mama's attention and gave her a disappointed look. But mama just rolled her eyes before picking me up and flying away from the party.

I didn't try to stop her and was more than happy to get away from all of the judgmental stares from the snobby fairy court.

Maybe mama was right…maybe we were better off by ourselves.

My mind was reeling at this thought, but I knew one thing for certain.

"I love you, mama."

"I love you more, baby girl."

Love calmed my erratically beating heart and soothed my worried mind to sleep. I felt mama gently lay me on her rose bed before slipping my shoes off my feet.

The last thing I remembered was mama, curling me into her side again before my mind drifted off into the land of clouds and stars.


	4. Chapter 4

Here we are again, back at the training grounds. Mama said she wanted to clear her head, so she blind folded herself and had the sprites attack her at different angles. She was doing really well, until grandpa hurried in shouting, "Marianne!"

"I'm kind of busy," Mama informed him trying to blow him off.

"Marianne, the Elf Spring Festival is tonight, and I want you to be there," grandpa informed her huffing all the while. He always makes me nervous when he gets so out of breath from flying. Maybe I should ask chef to start preparing healthier options for grandpa…

I decided that what they were talking about wasn't all that interesting and returned to my book. It was about a princess befriending a dragon and going on adventures together.

The dragon had just batted the chauvinistic knight into another kingdom with the flick of her tail, when grandpa pulled me back into the conversation.

"And I'm sure Imogen would love to attend the festival and play with the other elf children her age!"

"Wai-what's going on?" I asked blinking from the page in my book.

Grandpa gave me an exasperated look while mama laughed at my aloofness.

"Alright, fine, we'll go to the festival tonight," mama told him in frustration.

"That's my girl!" Grandpa exclaimed while pulling mama into an impromptu hug. She resisted at first, but I caught a smile on her face in the end.

"Okay, okay, enough of that…Gen? You okay with going to a festival tonight?" Mama asked trying to get some feedback on what I thought about it. Well, I would prefer just staying home…where no one can stare at me, but the elves are nicer than the fairy court so it won't be _too_ bad. Plus, a festival with rides, games, and dancing does sound like fun.

"I'm in," I told mama decisively with a nod of my head.

"Sweet, lets get you ready!" She cheered before putting her sword away and pulling me into the air. I laughed at her enthusiasm as she twirled me in the air. I can honestly say that I don't mind mama dressing me up. She always puts me in pretty colors, and I do adore colors, plus she makes sure that I'm comfortable in everything I wear. Mama is so keen on comfort that she never puts my hair into a hairstyle that is too tight or too eccentric.

Really, I don't think the woman could ever do wrong in my eyes.

* * *

"Aaaaannnddd…done!" Mama happily cried out as she finished weaving small daisies into the messy bun on top of my head. I smiled at the cute daisies but was really impressed at the mini vine earrings that looked like they were crawling up my ear; that was a neat finishing touch.

Mama had placed me in a faded yellow dress with a deep emerald green belt to cinch the waist. My feet were adorned with matching green ballet flats that I was more than happy to twirl in and show off the look to mama.

"So cute!" She cried out as she hugged me. "Truth be told you're probably the only thing that is going to keep me sane and get me through this evening," with that last admission, she started packing up her hair brushes and ties.

"Uhm…we don't have to go if you don't want to go, mama," I nervously told her while shuffling my feet. I don't want to force mama into something she doesn't want to do.

"Oh, no, wait—ah, me and my big—sweetie, it's not that I don't want to take you to the festival. It's just well…sometimes mama doesn't like all the attention and stares she gets and…it gets to her. It has nothing to do with you—I'm so excited to take you to your first festival, okay?" She hurriedly reassured me while searching my face to make sure I understood.

I smiled at her in understanding, "I get it mama, you just want to blend in or go to a place where not everyone knows who you are."

"Exactly, baby girl. But it will all be okay, you know why?" She asked me while lifting my chin up.

"Why?"

"Because I'll have the coolest, sweetest, funniest daughter in all the land by my side."

"Really?" I asked her excitedly, before cheekily adding on, "I can't wait to meet her!"

"Wha-why you little…" mama barked out in laughter before scooping me up and letting the 'tickle bug' take over until we were both a laughing heap on the floor.

Once we settled down, mama helped smooth out my outfit before taking my hand and flying us to the front of the elf village. Grandpa was ecstatic to see us and complimented my cute outfit. Aunt Dawn agreed that I was 'absolutely adorable,' but quickly went back to moping when grandpa told her she was staying beside him the entire night. He then told me to greet the elder chief of the elves who would introduce me to some kids my age. Mama wanted to come with me, but grandpa told her that it would be better for me to go alone and make friends my age.

She _reluctantly_ agreed.

So, I was sent off towards the other end of the stage. Uncle Sunny climbed the stage at that point; I guess he was the entertainment for the evening. I wasn't paying too much attention to him though because I couldn't see the elder chief anywhere…

Maybe he went backstage to check on the entertainment?

I decided that just a quick look wouldn't hurt anybody and pulled back the curtain that separated the audience from the entertainment.

What I expected to see were elves scrambling to set up lights, instruments, special effects, etc. What I was _not_ expecting was a huge, scaly goblin type creature and a smaller beak- mouthed goblin person tying up the stagehands. Before I could scream for help, long sinewy fingers with sharp, cracked nails, clamped over my mouth; stifling all hope for a rescue.

"What the hell? What's a kid…? Ah, never mind," the man picked me up with one arm, his other still clamped over my mouth, "You. Hold this, you can let her go once we're done here."

With that order he dropped me in the meaty arms of the larger goblin who immediately placed his hand…er…paw?... over my mouth.

"Shouldn't we tie her up?" The shorter one questioned his leader.

"It's a kid—surely you lot can handle a kid until I make my demands," the boss goblin deadpanned to his subordinates; not at all impressed with them.

"Oh, of course, boss…" they immediately acquiesced before shuffling to the stage to replace the band on stage.

"Stay here with the kid and don't move until after we capture the princess," he ordered the larger goblin before making his grand entrance.

My mind reeled, and I began putting up a huge fight.

They are going to hurt my family!

"Hey, stop squirming kid. Hey, I said stop tha—ow!"

I bit down on his meaty hand with all my might and got the oaf to drop me. I made sure to bend my knees when I landed to help absorb the shock from the fall. I didn't even give the big guy a second glance as I darted to the stage.

Mama was tackled to the ground, grandpa was being restrained as well as Uncle Sunny, and Aunt Dawn…where was…is she in that bag?

Oh, no, some goblins were lifting it up with dragonflies and…

"…I'll have your head on a stick!"

My head snapped towards mama's direction just as she sucker-punched the boss goblin. Internally I was cheering until I saw him lift his scepter to strike—no, no, no!

"MAMA, NO!" My mouth yelled before I could stop it, and I was racing towards them. "IMOGEN! NO! STAY BACK!" I heard mama yell, but it was too late.

Those long, sinewy fingers from before had a tight grip on the back of my dress. My feet dangled towards the ground as I squirmed and tried to hold back the tears.

"Well, well, what do we have here, tough girl," the goblin mocked as he dangled me in front of mama.

"Let her go! She's just a child and has nothing to do with this," mama pleaded as she saw the tears streak from my eyes.

I tried to wipe them away, but it only made it worst.

"Oh, but she has everything to do with this mommy dearest. Take this as retribution for that little stunt you pulled earlier," he growled out before pulling away and tossing me to one of the goblins on a dragonfly, "Here, hold onto the second hostage."

"This way we can make sure you, _fairies_ , have ample motivation to bring back that potion," he sneered out towards mama.

"Take me instead!" Uncle Sunny cried out, catching the boss goblin's attention, "I'm the one who took your love potion."

"Then give it back," he growled out, menacingly leering over Uncle Sunny.

"I, uh, don't have it right now," Uncle Sunny pitifully admitted while looking away.

The boss goblin just growled out in more annoyance.

"You've heard my terms! You have until moon-down or you all WILL BE NEXT!" He threatened the citizens with a mighty roar before flying off with the goblins holding his hostages.

The heart-wrenching look of hopelessness on my mama's face is going to haunt my dreams for nights to come.

* * *

I tried squirming, biting, clawing, and even head butting my way to freedom, but it only got me into more trouble. Now I was currently hooked under the boss goblin's arm as he flew us back to…wherever the hell we were going.

My tears had, for the most part, dried up, I was only left with a few sniffles here and there, but my anger at this stupid situation did not fade.

I want to go home, and I want my mama.

I don't care how childish or babyish that sounds.

I WANT MY MAMA!

With my newfound determination, I decided to make one last ditch effort for freedom and tried elbowing the jerk in the stomach…unfortunately his stomach is plated, and I ended up hurting myself.

"Son-of-a-!"

"Watch your mouth!" he scolded me.

I went to yell at him that he wasn't my dad when we came upon a rotting tree stump with a giant animal skull as the entryway.

Just great…

We're all gonna die.

As soon as we made it into the entryway, the boss goblin dropped me on my behind, and walked towards his throne made out of…oh stars is that animal vertebrae?

Yep, totally done with all of this, I'm going home. No sooner did I get up to walk out the front door did a group of goblins approach me and circled around me.

"Bring me…the prisoner," the goblin king ordered.

Aunt Dawn.

I saw the large goblin bring the bag in front of the king before dropping it towards the floor. Aunt Dawn made an indignant squeak while I rushed towards the jerk goblin, swatting him away.

Whilst I was preoccupied with the fairy dropping offender, I heard one of the goblins snarl out, "I can't wait to tear off its wings."

"You are NOT touching my Aunt Dawn's wings!" I cried out turning on my heel to fend off whoever dared to hurt my family.

"Ha, looks like this one's already had her wings torn off," a gruff voice spoke up behind me.

"Yeah, along with her ears—have you ever seen a fairy with funny ears like that?" a nasally voice answered

"Nope, can't say I have…maybe she's not a fairy, but is an elf?"

"An elf? No way, she has too many fingers and is too tall to be an elf."

"Hey it's just a sugg—"

"WILL YOU IDIOTS STOP TALKING LIKE I'M NOT HERE!" I erupted my voice shrilling with all the rage from past judgements and assumptions. The goblins took a step back from my outburst. "I AM IMOGEN! IM-O-GEN! I'm not a fairy and I'm not an elf; I AM IMOGEN! And _my_ mama said that if anybody had a problem with that then they will be beheaded! So, do any of you have a _problem_ with what I am?"

The goblins proceeded to take another step back from my outburst, but I didn't care. These stupid tears just started falling again and no matter how much I rubbed at my eyes, they wouldn't go away.

Man, I hated being weak.

As soon as I find my way back to mama, I'm going to train so hard along side her that nobody will dare try to kidnap me or my family again.

I felt a large hand pat my head.

"Alright, that's enough of that, mini-tough girl. You showed them who's boss so dry your eyes and let's move on," the goblin king told me with another pat on my head.

I don't know why it worked, but it helped me calm down and stop the rest of my tears.

"You heard her you lot!" He barked out, getting his underlings' attention. "This is an Imogen and there will be _no_ snacking on her or the fairy, understood?"

All of the goblins let out a groan of disappointment while backing further away from the bag. All except one large, meaty goblin that had his tongue sticking out.

"Brutus…" the goblin king warned, calling out the larger goblin and stopping him from continuing. Brutus let out a sigh of disappointment before joining his other cohorts. The goblin king then nodded at two of the smaller goblins to untie the bag.

Aunt Dawn was curled up in the fetal position with her wings wrapped protectively around her body. Before I could make a move towards her, the king's hand grabbed my shoulder, effectively stopping my movements and warning me to stay put.

"So, what do we have here…" I heard him growl out towards my Aunt Dawn. She was still rubbing her eyes with her hands when his voice got her attention.

When her vision cleared, and she spotted the goblin king, her eyes lit up with excitement and she did the one thing I never expected her to do.

She began singing.

"Sugar-pie, honey bunch!~"

"What?"

"A-aunt Dawn?"

"You know that I love you~"

Oh stars, why?

The goblin king tried scaring her away with growling and singing how he was evil, but Aunt Dawn was NOT being deterred. She started flying around and chasing the king around the throne room. Some of the goblins were saying how they should have taken 'the feisty one' or just grabbed me. I was so embarrassed by her behavior that I just face palmed and waited for the song and dance to end.

"Take her! Lock this crazy creature in the dungeon," the king yelled out while directing Aunt Dawn towards the ground before handing her off to some large goblins.

"Grab the child too! Throw her in the same cell as this lunatic; maybe she can talk sense into her," he mumbled out the last part while he shooed me towards Aunt Dawn who was still trying to grab hold of the king. I sighed before trying to help the goblins calm her down.

I may be a prisoner, but I'm not sadistic; nobody deserves dealing with my Aunt Dawn's love-sick clinginess.

Once we closed the doors, Aunt Dawn calmed down enough to walk down the stairs by herself. However, she did continue on her hopeful, lovelorn sighing until we reached the bottom.

"Alright into the cell," one of the goblins told us while holding the door open to a small, barred room with a single toadstool as a bed.

"Th-there aren't any windows," I told him whilst taking a step back from the cell; already feeling panic from the walls getting smaller and smaller.

"No…it's a dungeon—not a hotel room," the goblin informed me.

"Au-aunt Dawn?" I called out in a panic, putting my arms around her, pleading for her to fix this.

"Shhh…don't worry, Imogen. My sugar-pie, honey-bunch, won't put you in the small room, okay?"

Before I could ask what she meant by that, she was already laying into the goblins to take me back upstairs to the king and settle me in the throne room.

"But, but the king said—"

"The king didn't know that my adorable niece is claustrophobic and would _never_ let such a cutie suffer from a major panic attack!" With that final piece of information shouted out, she stormed into her cell, shut the bars and shooed us with her hands to go back up the stairs.

The goblins looked at each other with confusion before closing the door to the room and leading me back up the stairs.

They seemed hesitant to let me in the throne room, but the goblin king's voice echoed off the walls in irritation.

"What is the kid doing out of her cell?" He growled out.

"Well, you see, sire, uh…she's claustrophobic and…"

"You have got to be kidding me," the goblin king said with exasperation before rubbing his temples, "I don't care if she is scared of small spaces or the dark! Put her in—"

He cut himself off when he saw me sniffling and tears welling up in my eyes.

"Ugh, fine! But don't you try to escape or so help me…"

I nodded my head in vigorous agreement, "I'll be good—promise!"

"Fine…you, bring a moss mat and a blanket, and set it up next to the throne. I want to keep my eye on you," he said the last part towards me before motioning for me to wait on the steps for the goblin to return.

"Uhm…what's your name," I hesitantly asked. I might as well know who kidnapped me.

"I am the Bog King."

"So…Bog or King Bog…or?"

"Bog King."

"…Mr. Bog King?"

"…Sure…" He conceded before rubbing his temples again.

The goblin returned shortly after and placed a large moss looking pillow next to the throne before giving me a large, gray, wool blanket. At least I think it's made of wool…

"Thank you," I called out to the goblin before I curled up on the mat with the blanket. Getting kidnapped was extremely tiring for a young girl. It didn't take long for my eyes to shut and my mind to go fuzzy with dreams.

I hope mama comes for me soon.

* * *

"I can't live! If living is without you!~"

"Huh, Aunt Dawn?" I tiredly asked before sitting up to rub the sleep out of my eyes. What's going o—oh yeah, I remember now. Aunt Dawn and I were kidnapped and she is in love with Mr. Bog King.

…Great…

Speaking of which, everyone seemed to be huddled around a stick with a cobweb bulb at the end. Curiosity getting the better of me, I stealthily made my way to the group to see what they were looking at. There seemed to be a tiny, blue fairy trapped inside and she was sassing the goblin king.

I like her.

"Sugar Plum, antidote, NOW!" Bog screamed at the fairy who was just singing with Aunt Dawn while everybody held their ears. Seriously, they were getting worked up over singing—they would _not_ last a day in the fairy kingdom.

Feeling slightly bad for everybody, I decided to let them in on a little secret.

I tugged at Bog's elbow to get his attention.

He turned towards me with a glare before realizing it was me and softening the look.

"What are you doing up?"

"I heard Aunt Dawn singing."

"Does she do this often?"

"All the time."

"…Just fan-bloody-tastic…"

"But it's easy to get her to stop."

"What?! How?!"

"You need to do what mama does—trick her into falling asleep."

"And how do I do that?"

"I dunno, I can sleep through a whole band of fairies singing. You're the one in pain right now, you figure it out," I told him with nonchalance. Just because I feel a _little_ bad for their predicament doesn't mean that I'm still not mad at them for kidnapping me.

"Ugh! Fine! I'll handle this myself!" He screamed out before flying off towards the dungeon.

I was about to walk back to my mat and go back to sleep when an old, wrinkled hand grabbed onto me.

"Awww, where did you come from cutie-pie?" A short goblin lady with auburn hair and a crown made of stringed rocks asked me.

"Ummm…the Bog King kidnapped me," I told her with confusion in my voice.

"Huh? I thought my son kidnapped fairy princesses?" She asked me in curiosity.

"Uh—yeah, he did…my Aunt Dawn is the princess in the cell and I am Princess Imogen, daughter of future Queen Marianne," I informed her with just a hint of pride in my title.

"Oh, aren't you just adorable!" She suddenly cried out before hugging me. "How old are you sweetie? Eight, nine years old?"

Before I could answer, the blue fairy spoke up saying, "She's seven years old, Griselda."

"Nobody asked you!" Griselda shouted back at the fairy.

"Wa-wait, do you know who I am" I quickly asked while trying to politely break out of Griselda's hug to get closer to the fairy.

"What do you mean who you are? You just told me your name and everything," Griselda impatiently reminded me, still a bit sore about me breaking out of her hug.

"She means before she was adopted and became a princess, Griselda," the fairy informed her in a bored manner before turning back to me with a smile on her face, "Yes, I know exactly who you are, little one, and it's about time you showed up!"

I heard Griselda excitedly squeal out about me being adopted and something about 'poor girl,' but my attention was on the Sugar Plum fairy.

"So, I'm seven years old then, wait I was six when I landed in the fairy kingdom? But…I feel like I'm—"

"Older?" She asked me while I nodded my head, "Look sweetie, sometimes life…well it ages kids faster than it should, but trust me when I say you're seven years old and to leave it at that."

"What do you—"

"What I mean is that you know how you had that gut feeling that nobody was looking for you? How it was better off that you don't remember anything from before?"

I could only numbly nod my head as everything she was stating was completely accurate.

"There is a reason for gut feelings and yours is on the money. Just keep doing what you've been doing and enjoy your new life with your family…oh, and one more thing…" Sugar Plum motioned for me to come closer to her cobweb prison; I obliged and leaned closer. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"Alright that's enough of that," Griselda stated before pulling me away from Sugar Plum, "Come on, sweetie, let's see if we can't find you some crayons and paper to draw with."

With that being said; she perched me back on the moss mat and sent some goblins out to find some craft supplies. Griselda played 20 questions with me while we waited for the goblins to arrive with the materials. She's really nice in a goofy grandma kind of way…just wish her son would take some lessons from her.

Once Bog returned he looked more haggard than usual and slumped into his throne.

"Look, honey! I drew you the perfect bride!" Griselda happily chirped out as she held up a picture of a lady goblin cooking his favorite meal. "Show him your picture, Imogen!"

I smiled cheekily as I held up my picture.

"What, uh, sweetie, what is that?" Griselda asked me, trying to be mindful of my feelings.

"My mamma punching Mr. Bog King."

The Bog King didn't get mad like I thought he would. In fact, he seemed to like my drawing more than his mother's and gave a little laugh at the memory. Griselda didn't seem too pleased and had us drawing something else—anything else.

I drew more pictures of mama and me playing in the kingdom after that, and ended up falling asleep with one of my pictures clutched to my chest. I heard Griselda coo at me before feeling someone tuck my blanket around my small body, and make a shushing noises when someone got too loud.

My mind could be playing tricks on me, but I'm pretty sure that person was Bog…


End file.
